Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are susceptible to many of the same diseases as
domestic turkeys. Before 2005, most Wild Turkeys in southern Georgia, USA, had little
or no exposure to commercial poultry operations. As part of a pathogen survey examining
the effects of commercial poultry on Wild Turkeys, samples were collected from Wild
Turkeys from March 2005 through May 2008. The turkeys were collected from 13 counties
in southern Georgia and Madison County, Florida, and tested for antibodies to various
pathogens of poultry. Three (13%) of the turkeys were positive for antibodies to Salmonella.
Thirteen turkeys (54%) were positive for Newcastle disease virus antibodies, and 15
turkeys (63%) were positive for antibodies to reticuloendotheliosis virus. One turkey
(4%) from Madison County was positive for avian encephalomyelitis virus antibodies.

The bacterium Listeria monocytogenes causes disease in a wide variety of mammals including
rabbits and hares. We describe naturally acquired metritis and septicemic listeriosis
in wild female hares from Saskatchewan, Canada. Between April 2012 and July 2013,
two white-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii) and a snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus)
were presented to the Veterinary Medical Centre at the Western College of Veterinary
Medicine, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada with nonspecific neurologic signs. The hares
were euthanized and autopsied. Necrotizing fibrinosuppurative metritis was present
in all. Additional findings in individual hares included fetal maceration, multifocal
necrotizing myocarditis, multifocal hepatic necrosis, and nonsuppurative encephalitis.
Listeria monocytogenes was cultured from multiple tissues in each hare. Although listeriosis
in pregnant domestic rabbits has been studied, this is the first detailed description
in wild North American hares. The epidemiology of listeriosis, including prevalence
and the role of environmental sources and coprophagy in transmission among hares,
requires further investigation.

The use of serologic assays for influenza A virus (IAV) surveillance in wild birds
has increased because of the availability of commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent
assays (ELISAs). Recently, an H5-specific blocking ELISA (bELISA) was shown to reliably
detect H5-specific antibodies to low- and high-pathogenic H5 viruses in experimentally
infected waterfowl. Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) were frequently associated with highly
pathogenic H5N1 outbreaks in Europe and may have a similar role if highly pathogenic
H5N1 is introduced into North America. We measured the prevalence of antibodies to
the nucleoprotein and H5 protein in Mute Swans using three serologic assays. We collected
340 serum samples from Mute Swans in Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island,
USA. We detected antibodies to the IAV nucleoprotein in 66.2% (225/340) of the samples.
We detected H5-specific antibodies in 62.9% (214/340) and 18.8% (64/340) using a modified
H5 bELISA protocol and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay, respectively. The modified
H5 bELISA protocol detected significantly more positive samples than did the manufacturer's
protocol. We also tested 46 samples using virus neutralization. Neutralization results
had high agreement with the modified H5 bELISA protocol and detected a higher prevalence
than did the HI assay. These results indicate that North American Mute Swans have
high nucleoprotein and H5 antibody prevalences.

We harvested 21 fallow deer (Dama dama) and 17 axis deer (Axis axis) in northern Mexico.
Two fallow deer were positive for Babesia bigemina and one for Babesia bovis. Amplicons
had the expected 170 and 291 base pairs and were identical to B. bigemina (S45366)
and B. bovis (M38218), respectively.

A wide range of systemic mycoses have been reported from captive and wild marine mammals
from North America. Examples include regionally endemic pathogens such as Coccidioides
and Blastomyces spp., and novel pathogens like Cryptococcus gattii, which appear may
have been introduced to North America by humans. Stranding and necropsy data were
analyzed from three marine mammal stranding and response facilities on the central
California coast to assess the prevalence, host demographics, and lesion distribution
of systemic mycoses affecting locally endemic marine mammals. Between 1 January 1998
and 30 June 2012, >7,000 stranded marine mammals were necropsied at the three facilities.
Necropsy and histopathology records were reviewed to identify cases of locally invasive
or systemic mycoses and determine the nature and distribution of fungal lesions. Forty-one
animals (0.6%) exhibited cytological, culture- or histologically confirmed locally
invasive or systemic mycoses: 36 had coccidioidomycosis, two had zygomycosis, two
had cryptococcosis, and one was systemically infected with Scedosporium apiospermum
(an Ascomycota). Infected animals included 18 California sea lions (Zalophus californianus),
20 southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis), two Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina
richardsi), one Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli), and one northern elephant seal
(Mirounga angustirostris). Coccidioidomycosis was reported from 16 sea lions, 20 sea
otters, and one harbor seal, confirming that Coccidioides spp. is the most common
pathogen causing systemic mycosis in marine mammals stranding along the central California
coast. We also report the first confirmation of C. gattii infection in a wild marine
mammal from California and the first report of coccidioidomycosis in a wild harbor
seal. Awareness of these pathogenic fungi during clinical care and postmortem examination
is an important part of marine mammal population health surveillance and human health
protection. Temporal-spatial overlap may be observed for pathogenic mycoses infecting
coastal marine mammals and adjacent human populations.

The southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) is a threatened marine sentinel. During
postmortem investigations of stranded sea otters from 2004 to 2013 in California,
USA, papillomas were detected in the oral cavity of at least seven otters via necropsy
and histopathology. Next-generation sequencing of viral particles purified from a
single papilloma revealed a novel papillomavirus, Enhydra lutris papillomavirus 1
(ElPV-1). The genome of ElPV-1 was obtained, representing the first fully sequenced
viral genome from southern sea otters. Phylogenetic analysis of the entire L1 gene,
as well as a concatenated protein identities plot of all papillomaviral genes revealed
that ElPV-1 is a λ-papillomavirus, related to a raccoon papillomavirus (Procyon lotor
papillomavirus type 1) and a canine oral papillomavirus. Immunohistochemical staining,
using a cross-reactive bovine papillomavirus antibody, suggested that ElPV-1 is present
in intranuclear inclusions and intracytoplasmic keratin granules. Virus-infected cells
were scattered throughout the stratum granulosum and stratum spinosum of the gingival
and buccal papillomas. Using ElPV-1-specific PCR, we confirmed viral DNA in oral papillomas
from all seven stranded sea otters, with identical L1 sequences. This virus is associated
with the development of oral papillomatosis in southern sea otters.

Data on reptile analgesia are scarce for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids and almost completely lacking in sea turtles, even though emergencies requiring correct pain management are very frequent in their rehabilitative medicine; therefore, dosage regimens extrapolated from other species involve the risk of clinical failure and damage to the animals. We describe the pharmacokinetic behavior of meloxicam in the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). We chose meloxicam because of its selective anti-cyclooxygenase-2 activity and lesser adverse side effects. No data are available on the capacity of turtles to tolerate NSAIDs, so we chose a dose of 0.1 mg/kg of meloxicam. Plasma concentrations of meloxicam were unexpectedly low both for intravenous (IV; maximum concentration [Cmax] = 0.04±0.02 µg/mL) and intramuscular (IM; Cmax = 0.07±0.09 µg/mL) administration. A double-peak phenomenon occurred after both IV time for peak concentration ([Tmax2] = 10.33±10.89 h) and IM (Tmax2 = 1.17±0.75 h). The second peak after IM injection was premature, so some difficulty and delay in absorption appears to be an appropriate explanation. Furthermore, the area under the curve, and therefore systemic bioavailability (F = 31.82±28.24%), after both IV (0.30±0.29) and IM (0.10±0.03) injection appeared particularly limited. Terminal elimination slope and mean residence time indicated fast elimination after IM dosing; as a consequence, plasma concentrations dropped below analytic limits in 8 h. Considering that IM is the favored route of administration of drugs in rescue centers, it is unlikely that meloxicam at 0.1 mg/kg is an appropriate choice, particularly in long-term pain management protocols.

Diagnosis of tuberculosis in wildlife often relies on postmortem samples because of
logistical challenges and lack of field-friendly techniques for live animal testing.
Confirmation of infection through detection of infectious organisms is essential for
studying the pathogenesis and epidemiology of disease. We describe the application
of a technique to obtain respiratory samples from free-ranging living lions to facilitate
detection of viable Mycobacterium bovis under field conditions. We identified M. bovis
by mycobacterial culture and PCR in tracheobronchial lavage samples from 8/134 (6.0%)
lions tested in Kruger National Park. This confirms the respiratory shedding of viable
M. bovis in living lions. The implications of these results are that infected lions
have the potential to transmit this disease and serve as maintenance hosts.

Giant liver fluke (Fascioloides magna) populations readily expand under suitable conditions. Although extirpated from the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in the early 1960s, the fluke reappeared following natural spread through mountain passes from British Columbia. Herein, we assessed epizootiology of the fluke population two decades later. Between 1984 and 1991, 534 ungulates, including 381 elk (Cervus canadensis), 68 mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus), 54 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and 31 moose (Alces alces) from adjacent areas of Alberta (AB) and British Columbia (BC), Canada, were examined for giant liver flukes. Prevalence in elk increased from 53% to 79% (1984-1991) in Banff National Park (BNP) in AB and 77% to 100% (1985-1989) in Kootenay National Park (KNP) in BC. Super-infections (>100 flukes) were more common in later years. Generally, prevalence increased over time and with increasing age of elk. Intensity was lowest in young-of-year (BNP 8±5, KNP 3), but similar in yearlings (BNP 36±11, KNP 23±8) and adults (BNP 33±5, KNP 32±6). Prevalence was similar in male and female elk. Intensity was higher in males (BNP 47±7, KNP 46±12) than in females (BNP 28±6, KNP 22±4), although the maximum number of flukes (545) occurred in a female elk. Prevalence and intensity differed among other species of ungulates but patterns were similar in each park. Prevalence was lower in mule deer (BNP 6%, KNP 4%) than in white-tailed deer (BNP 44%, KNP 28%) and moose (BNP 52%, KNP 63%). Intensity differed among these species but never exceeded 30 flukes. Gravid flukes occurred only in elk and white-tailed deer. Transmission occurred primarily in late summer-fall and in wet habitats. At least seven elk died as a direct result of fluke infection. In this region, elk and white-tailed deer maintain the F. magna population with spillover into moose and, rarely, mule deer.

Chlamydia pecorum, a recognized pathogen of domesticated ruminants and koalas (Phascolarctos
cinereus), has been recently reported in a broad range of other wildlife species including
water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), ibex (Capra ibex), chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra),
red deer (Cervus elaphus), and birds. This identification raises questions as to whether
cross-host transmission may be a factor in the epidemiology of infections in these
species. To begin to address this question, we employed a C. pecorum species-specific
multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) scheme to characterize a small collection of C.
pecorum-positive samples from wild, free-range ibex, a chamois, and a red deer from
Grison, Switzerland, a canton where domesticated and wild ruminants graze in close
proximity during the summer. Screening by PCR confirmed low to moderate levels of
Chlamydia pecorum DNA in the eyes of healthy ibex (n = 4) and in the deer fecal sample
(n = 1). The MLST analysis revealed three novel sequence types (STs; 88, 90, and 89)
in these samples. On phylogenetic analysis, the ibex and deer sequences clustered
by host species in their own well-supported clades and away from C. pecorum STs found
in other hosts. Even though the analyzed sample size was small, the identification
of unique C. pecorum STs infecting free-ranging Alpine ibex and red deer provides
useful information for further C. pecorum epidemiologic studies.